The present application relates generally to an improved data processing apparatus and method and more specifically to mechanisms for managing data storage in a distributed virtual environment.
With the development of computer hardware and software technologies, virtual machines (VMs) can provide more and more support to users. For example, when a user needs to use data computing resources and data storage resources, he/she does not have to purchase a high-performance physical machine and install necessary application programs on the physical machine; instead, the user may request computing resources and data storage resources to a cloud service provider, for example, and access these resources via the user's local desktop system.
Existing distributed virtual environments may already offer various computing resources and storage resources to users, whereas due to restrictions of physical configuration of a hypervisor node in the distributed virtual environment, resources (e.g., storage resources) cannot be provided to users without limit. In addition, the distributed virtual environments may be implemented by means of a network that, when a user accesses a virtual machine in the distributed virtual environment, the virtual machine fails to provide satisfactory response efficiency, i.e. there exists some latency between the user access and the virtual machine response.